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 Monday 10th of November 2014 and they called to wake me up at 7 o'clock and I continued with my web page, I have been busy from early morning to late night every day and I'm way behind with my web page. At 8 thirty something my phone rang and it was from Shearwater. They were here to return my 180 US Dollars. I was just about to go for breakfast when they called me at 9 o'clock. This time it was my rife to the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe. I told him that he should not be here  before 10 o'clock. Same yesterday, pick-up for the historical bridge tour was set to 9 thirty and they were here at 9 o'clock. Of course, I was not ready there must be a plan or we can as well just run around like chickens.
If we don't know the clock and if we come and go as we won't the world will come to a full stop. It is not like I'm sitting in my room STAND-BY between 7 and 10 if the pick-up time is at 10 o'clock. Then I will be ready at 10 o'clock. I went for breakfast and I was in the reception checking out just before 10 o'clock My fifth breakfast at the hotel and, well, even if I had not had any breakfasts before I could estimate how long time it would take. So I went for breakfast 20 minutes before 10 and we were ready to leave at 10 o'clock. My Samsonite carry on was in the hotels storage and I had packed my new bag that I bought at Victoria Falls Hotel, this bag is really growing to be a favourite and this will become my new weekend bag and travel partner. When they see me coming with this bag they will think “Here is a guy with style, class and most important, finesse”  We were soon leaving Victoria Falls Hotel and my new friends behind. My driver was going to take me to the border post and there would come a driver from Botswana to drive me to Chobe Game Lodge in Chobe National Park. Leaving Victoria Falls behind and I give 5  out of 5 to Victoria Falls Hotel, Victoria Falls Guide and Shearwater. There are a few more to hand out. Victoria Falls had been fantastic and I can recommend a visit, not a boring moment. Just contact Victoria Falls Guide and they will set you up on a fantastic experience with Shearwater etc.
Into Africa Bush Cuisine gets 5  out of 5. Shit can happen, but no answer on e-mails and phone calls. And as soon as I sat my foot on board they asked for 10 Dollars park fee, no explanation  why they had not picked me up. Into Africa Bush Cuisines STAY WELL CLEAR!!
Would take us about one hour to reach the border to Botswana. My Driver asked where I came from and I said Sweden. - Oh, maybe you can help me? He had have some Swedish people that had problem with their ATM card and he had given them 70 US Dollars and he got 600 Swedish Scooby Dollars. Impossible to change in this part of the world, unless you have a lot of them. I told him that I could give him 70 US and he called his wife. She had forgotten where she had put them. He was disappointed, but I told him that he could pick me up and drive me to the airport on the 23rd of November. Then I would give him 30 US for the  ride plus 70 for the Swedish Scooby dollars.
I told him not to be late as I didn't want to miss my flight to Johannesburg. Well, I was happy, the ride to the airport was set up. But the driver was even more happy. He got his 7 US plus that he made 30 US for the ride in his private car. Well, maybe I was more happy than him because I was able to help. That's how we operate around here, everyone is happy!  Always gaming in Africa
We drove towards the border to Botswana and as always when driving in Africa, it is a game driving and needless to say, we saw plenty impalas. Suddenly the Driver stopped and there were a  big group of giraffes in the woods. We were soon on our way again and we passed a poacher patrol. It is 20 to 25 years (in a Zimbabwean prison) in prison if you get caught poaching and they are still poaching.
And now they shoot first and ask after. The poachers shoot the poacher patrol on sight and the poacher patrol shoot the  poachers at first sight. So it is a war out there, but I'm surprised that stuff like this is still going on, it is 2014 fer foock's sake!
We were also stopped by the Police in a road block not far from the border to Botswana. The looked at the driver license and they waved us through. We approached the border and my Driver told me not to take any pictures. - Why? - Top secret stuff! OK, I saw that the tourists took pictures with the Immigration Officers so I took a few pictures. And no one complained and I didn't get arrested, maybe “old” rules my driver is following.  Reaching the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe
 I change to a Driver from Botswana
 Botswana Immigration
Immigration in Zimbabwe took a few minutes and then I had a driver from Botswana picking me up and we drove to the immigration in Botswana. We had to drive through a pool to clean the tyres  from mouth and foot disease
I got my visa to Botswana in 2 minutes and it was free. We left and we had to walk through some liquid to clean our shoes from the mouth and foot disease. As soon as we were in Botswana the roads become much better. I have heard many people say that Botswana is much better organised than Zimbabwe. Might have been my imagination, but wasn't the weather much better also? My driver told me that we were going to drive on  “tar” roads for 30 to 40 minutes. Then we would drive through Chobe National park until we reached Chobe Game Lodge.
We drove along the road and there were some game, but not very exciting games, the by now boring impala and if possible even more boring warthog. But as the rain season is coming up the impalas are about to drop their babies, most of them are pregnant and this will be fun to see.  Driving on a “tar” road in Botswana
 Passing some houses while driving on a “tar” road in Botswana
 Passing a impala while driving on a “tar” road in Botswana
 Reaching Chobe National Park
 Entering Chobe National Park
We reach Chobe National Park and from here it is dirt roads until we reach Chobe Game Lodge. I don't know how long time it took us to reach Chobe Game Lodge. But it was an interesting drive and  I saw impalas with babies, good, now it was kind of fun to watch the impalas and I expect to see many of the babies.
We passed Kudu Antelopes or whatever they are called. And I was excited as I have heard a lot about Botswana, with Serengeti in Tanzania the best place in the world for gaming, or as I call it, safari. We stopped and my driver pointed up in a tree. I was wondering what the foock he was on about. But then I saw the remaining of an impala hanging from one of the branches. Skin and I could see to legs and the driver told me that it was a Leopard that had been eating an impala. They catch their food and then they eat in the tree. There was no sign of the leopard as they are very shy and they stay out of sight as much as they can  Impalas
 Remaining of an animal hanging in the tree. Remaining from a Leopard dinner
They kill the animals and then the eat them in the trees - And if we look at the legs we can see that it is an impala
 I don't remember how long it took to get to Chobe Game Lodge from the tar road, 20 to 30  minutes and I was impressed when I arrived. It was a very nice place and the staff was very nice.
One girl handed me my personalised itinerary for my 5 days here. She told me that she would have meeting explaining the activities and an orientation of the lodge while my luggage was brought to my room. I asked for a bottle of water instead of the welcome drink and this was not considered strange or totally unexpected. Or maybe they were just  educated and trained in different situations. I have a place fresh in mind, you could see how everything came to a full stop.
Except of course his heart, or he would have died when I asked for a bottle of water. I finished my water and I told the girl that I knew where to find the boat that would depart at 15:30. It was lunch time and at 3 o'clock it was tea and at 15:30 we would take off on a sun set cruise on Chobe River. We would be back around 18:30 and dinner would be served at 19:30. I went to my room with my luggage and then I returned to the restaurant for some lunch. I choose the Kebab with rice and a pot of earl grey tea.  I was not alone for my lunch
 I was not alone for my lunch
 It was a very good lunch
I will join the other guests for the sunset cruise tonight and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow I will do the game driving in my own car. The fourth day I will go with the other guests on their gaming activates. I returned to my cabin after lunch and I tried to get my web page up to date. I decided to skip the 3 o'clock tea and I went to have a look at Chobe Game Lodge 20 minutes past 3 o'clock. It is a darn nice place and I'm very happy with my room, of course it comes with a price tag. The staff are very nice and they hovering around ready to assist. We're in the middle of nowhere and the bathroom is like any other 5 star hotel. There is everything I need and as at Victoria Falls Hotel there are mosquito repellent. I read so much about safari and the different parks and lodges wen planning this trip. And everywhere the told, not  recommended! They told that mosquito repellent is a MUST to bring for your safari in Africa. And I bought mosquito repellent, tons of it and as I didn't want to go through immigration and do the check-in at Johannesburg International I smuggled it on board the plane in my carry on. I'm thinking Africa and the only thing they have in the Supermarket is peanuts and Hokus Pokus. Well, look who’s stupid now! I managed to get all the liquid mosquito repellent on board but I will not take it back home, so I'm showering in mosquito repellent in order to finish it before going back home.
The weather was not so nice so some of the Guides/ drivers cancelled the river tour. Well, my driver told me that it was cancelled and we would go on a gaming drive instead. I was in the garden  looking around and I told everyone going down to the boat that it was cancelled.
Talk about making a tit out of myself, it was first later I understood that it was only some of the drivers that had cancelled. Well, I made a mental note: In the future, shut up! Don't try to be helpful! What do I know? I thought we were going on one boat, but they have several small boats. Well, anyway, we took off with our  Guide/ Driver. 4 or 5 jeeps with 8 passengers in each jeep. I was lucky, we were only 7 in my jeep and I got the full back seat.
In front of me a couple from USA, in front of them a couple from  Switzerland and on the first row a couple from France. We took off and we saw, yes, plenty impalas and monkeys. And we saw dung bugs or dung beetles or what they are called.
I was happy to see them as I have heard about them and this might turn out to be the most interesting sight today. The American girl in front of me were soon pointing out two jackals. Also something that I wanted to see. So I was in a good mood when we had seen the dung bug and the jackals. We passed a giraffe, but I have seen so many of them so I can't say I was excited.  Impala with baby
 Impala with baby
 My new friend the dung bug
 Jackals
 We drive along looking for animals
 Mongoose
 Baboons
 Dead Water buffalo
 Dead Water buffalo
The American girl spotted the jackals and then she spotted the mongoose. I discovered some water buffaloes. The Guide told us that they had changed name to African Buffaloes because they lived  all over Africa, not only in the water.
Well, anyway, the American girl was in the lead 2 to 1. We came down towards the river and there were lions, 4 or 5 adults and about the same amounts of lion babies. They were just laying around and it was pretty boring. The dung bug was much more fun to  watch, at least some action.
Watching these lions was as fun as watching paint dry and I offered to get out of the jeep. - The lions will think the jeep got a baby and that will stir up some action! I discovered 3 African Buffaloes coming down from the tress, my second spotting and I was up to even with the American girl. The lion spotted them and one of the lion rose up and started to walk towards the  buffaloes.
There must have been almost 10 safari jeeps there watching the lions and I can't understand why. When the buffalo came down from the trees you could see all the lions lifting their heads looking at them. Dinner is coming. The first lion rising up walking slowly towards the buffalo and then he lies down. There are soon 2 other lions following him and they lay down  behind the first lion. I had been hoping for some action.
The babies was left behind while mama lions was watching the buffaloes. There were soon plenty more buffaloes coming down from the tree line. One lion don't take a buffalo so they need to be a few lions and they are looking for the old or young  buffaloes in the group. And lions are not very quick so they need to sneak up on their victim.
And my guess is that they were not happy when suddenly 20 more buffaloes came out from the woods. The three lions moved ahead slowly and it was like they gave up. They stopped and they just laid down watching the buffaloes and we started to realize that there would be no action. Our Guide  told us that the lions are not quick, they need to sneak up on their victim and it can take several hours. Many times during the dark and then they eat in the morning. But the lion can stay without food for 3 to 5 days without any problem.
Will they get dinner tonight, for sure, not as long as there are daylight. The buffaloes moved further away and we wold not see the lions catching any buffalo.  More and more buffaloes
 Moving closer to the buffaloes
 Watching the buffaloes
Suddenly and unexpected, a t least for me, all the jeeps disappeared and my new friends from USA told me that it was time for a “sundowner” - They take the sundowner seriously! Well, must be a very important tradition to leave the gaming to go for a drink from the back of  the jeep. I got a diet drink while the others drank the traditional Gin & Tonic.
Well, never mind, we will not miss any lion action. We finished our drinks and we drove back to have a look at the lions. We could see them walking away towards the buffalos. There were 10 to 11 of them and the babies were playing behind the mama lions while walking. They will most likely sneak up on the buffaloes when it is dark. That's the spirit! We drove back to the hotel.  Evening drink
 A glass of wine
 Passing impalas on the way back to the hotel
 Passing impalas on the way back to the hotel
I stopped at the bar for a few cans of diet drinks. They had prepared drinks and snacks, I guess  it is what they call an “after safari” drink. I got my 4 cans of diet drink and I went to my cabin.
I checked my pictures and I was pretty happy. I enjoyed one or two diet drinks before I went to the restaurant for dinner. There were plenty people at the salad table and I made yet another mental not: Don't come to dinner before 8 o'clock in the evening. I started with salad and I had steak as main course. Excellent food at Chobe Game Lodge  and the restaurant is very nice. I really love the place, fantastic is not enough to describe it. OK, I have to go to the restaurant to get WIFI. But what to expect in the middle of nowhere surrounded by lions and stuff.
I even had dessert and I decided to only have salad from now on. Cannot go to Africa with a V-shaped torso and come back home as the human balloon. I uploaded my web page while eating my dessert and I finished my second pot of tea. They will wake me up at 04:30 tomorrow and I need to get to bed. I haven't had much sleep since I arrived to Africa and tonight won't give me much sleep either. But every hour counts and I was off to bed just after 10 o'clock and I managed to fall asleep without any problem. Yeah, sometimes even I'm lucky.  Time for dinner
 Time for dinner
 Time for dinner
Well, tomorrow will be my first day of private gaming and tis promise to be exciting. So click HERE to get in to the middle of that adventure. Don't forget your safari uniform. 
    
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To www.aladdin.st since December 2005
Visitors from different countries since 26th of September 2011
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spectacle. Chobe Game Lodge is the only lodge in the Chobe National Park situated on the magnificent Chobe River.
the river frontage. The wide front veranda offers views of the river from comfortable and elegantly appointed seating areas – and every room has a balcony that faces the river.
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